Holiday Meal Planning the Ketogenic Way

I LOVE the idea of holidays; spending time with loved ones in a house decorated for the 3 holidays in as many months.

I HATE the OCD side of me that won’t let me sit down until everything is in its place once I start the decorating.

My life is one big lesson in aiming for balance in all that I do.

I used to go into the holiday season with the knowledge that I’d come out on the other side a little plumper and, most likely, sick and exhausted; completely worn out from the marathon that starts with the decorating of the house and ends with boxes in the garage ready for the attic until next October.

That kind of worn out used to have me in bed for weeks with whatever virus was going around in January.

That is until 2014. I was living the Keto Life, baby! I was 100% all-in by the time Halloween rolled around. When Christmas finally arrived, I had no worries: I was going to make it this time!

I went into the New Year weighing less and feeling better than ever. It was all in changing my mindset before the holidays happened that made the difference for me.

The Art of the Swap

There are plenty of swaps you can make during the season, starting with making your own “sweet keto-treats” instead of giving into the temptation of the traditional crap Halloween candy found in every aisle of every store starting September 15th.

If you haven’t tried my Macadamia Nut Fudge, now would be the time to look up the recipe in my cookbook. You can also check out my recipe for Chocolate Keto Cups (aka Fat Bombs) from a post back in August.

For Thanksgiving, I tend to skip the traditional turkey and stuffing. Those things are just sad and memories of holiday meals past without mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole and all of those gluten and carb-filled rolls.

Last year, I made a pork tenderloin, roasted Brussels sprouts, huge salad, plantain bread, zucchini soup and a keto-friendly pumpkin pie. It was fabulous and nobody felt deprived.

And forget about that after-dinner coma! We were up and ready to do some serious damage at the stores. We all had energy and were able to stay up past 5pm.

Keto Recipes Galore!

With my cookbook, Kickin' It In The Kitchen, you could find lots of easy, yet fully satisfying swaps for your dinners this year. You could try my recipe for the perfect steak (spend the extra for grass-fed), tenderloin, my Perfect Pumpkin Soup, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pumpkin Muffins. And for dessert, you could add some Cheesecake Bites or Iced Pumpkin Cookies... or both.

If that doesn’t get you salivating, there are plenty of other recipes to choose from!

Start Your Own Traditions

Another way to make the holidays a little easier is to find some favorites that you might not always have time to make and turn those into holiday foods.

If you have time to make the stuff you love best, isn’t that a holiday??? So, technically, the foods would then be holiday food.

Look at you, you’ve created your own new tradition for your family. Go you!